Dawn breaks over Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Captain's log: "It is cool and partly cloudy here in Norfolk. Shortly after we anchored, 12 U.S. Navy warships passed within a few hundred yards of our position as they went out for their weekly operations. One was the Aircraft Carrier Stennis (CVN #74). Now THAT is a HUGE ship! We also saw Airforce #1 (the President's 747) make an approach into the airport here in Norfolk. Bunkering was without incident and we are making preparations to get underway , head out of Hampton Roads and proceed southward toward San Salvador and then on to Panama."
If you are wondering how many "dings" the gas pump made when Capt Bushy said "fill-her-up" today, a barrel of fuel oil is 42 gallons. That means that they took on 136,500 gallons...at about 45 cents a gallon...delivered.
Today was the first "training day" for the cadets in Division 2. That means that they reported for class at 0800. The firstyear cadets are split into three groups: deck training, engine training and environmental/safety training. They will learn the basics of each discipline for two days and then switch; eventually gaining experiences in all three subjects.They have an exam in each subject and their scores will go towards their final grade for the sea term ( a 6 credit college course). At the end of the sea term they will have to chose their major ( Marine Transportation-"deck", Marine Engineering -"engine", Marine Safety and Environmental Protection - "MSEP", or Facililties and Environmental Engineering). The upperclass cadets , having already chosen their major course of study, will spend 8 days in classes specifically oriented toward their major.